Control of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 is associated with HLA-B*13 and targeting of multiple gag-specific CD8+ T-cell epitopes.

To better understand relationships between CD8+ T-cell specificity and the immune control of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), we analyzed the role of HLA-B13, an allele associated with low viremia, in a cohort of 578 C clade-infected individuals in Durban, South Africa. Six novel B13-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes were defined from analyses of 37 B13-positive subjects, including three Gag epitopes. These B13-restricted epitopes contribute to a broad Gag-specific CD8+ response that is associated with the control of viremia. These data are consistent with data from studies of other HLA-class I alleles associated with HIV control that have shown that the targeting of multiple Gag epitopes is associated with relative suppression of viremia.